'This is your moment too’
Emma Watson has always been an advocate for women’s rights and a powerful voice to call for change.
It’s hardly surprising therefore that she is at the forefront of the UK’s response to the Time’s Up movement, the Justice and Equality Fund.
In fact, the 27-year-old actress donated the first £1 million, immediately taking the fund to the halfway point of its £2 million crowdfunding goal.
The movement, inspired by the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns, has been started by a group of UK-based women in the entertainment industry, working together to challenge sexual harassment, assault and discrimination across all industries and sections of society.
‘The figures are staggering,’ the women behind the fund announced. ‘Half of all women have experienced sexual harassment at work. Nearly one in five women has suffered sexual assault. We are not talking about a few bad apples. We are waking up to the full scale of systemic abuse based on gender and power - abuse that hurts us all.’
They continued: ‘Like all big problems, it needs big, bold solutions. We have created the Justice and Equality Fund, to create the far-reaching personal, social, legal and policy changes that will ensure everyone can feel safe at work, at play and at home. Together we can end the culture of harassment, abuse and impunity.’
Other high profile names to donate to the fund include Emma Thompson and Tom Hiddleston, with Keira Knightley giving a hefty £10,000.
Where will the UK Justice and Equality fund donations go?
According to its crowd-funding page, the fund will support organisations and projects across three themes:
1. Advice, support and signposting: work to make sure people know their rights and can access good quality support for local and national issues. We want a society where everyone knows their rights and can access support to claim them.
2. Legal and policy work: support game-changing legal cases that can help improve laws and policies and create a safer future for us all.
3. Advocacy and prevention: create campaigns and alliances that protect women’s rights, promote equality and ensure safe environments.
Time is up.
